Must Read: FATE (16+)… Part 49

A Story written by Purityval (0703440 1770, emmanuelchekwube887@yahoo.com.)

He understood what she meant and didn’t push any further. Pulling out his phone, he tapped a media file and placed the phone on the bed as Bob and Gerald’s last conversation played. She was shocked beyond words at finally confirming her fears.

After he left Gerald’s house, he’d called Kunle and asked him to record every call that enters or leaves Gerald’s phone. It wasn’t long before Kunle sent him a file and also called to alert him of the danger ahead.

As they listened to the recorded voice, it struck him; the voice. “It’s him.” He said quietly listening intently to the voice. He remembered the voice that had ordered for the hit on Claire as it matched with that of Gerald.

Claire was crying when the file played to the end. She couldn’t believe everything she just heard. She couldn’t believe that the two most trusted people in her life were the ones scheming for her death.

“How could they?” she asked rhetorically amidst tears.

“I think it’s because of this.” He said zooming the picture on his phone.

“What’s this?” She asked dabbing her eyes with the back of her hand.

“It’s you father’s will.”

Claire read for the first time her late father’s will. After she read the contents, he scrolled to another picture and zoomed it. She read throughthe document which had a different content and clauses from the first she’d read. She looked up at him with lots of questions written on her face as she didn’t know which is which.

“I think this will answer your questions.” He said picking one of the envelopes marked with triple X which had the recent date. He pulled out a neatly folded paper from it and handed it over to her. “This is the original will of your late father.” He said as she read through it.

She couldn’t hold back the emotion again as tears streamed down her eyes. Pulling herself together she took the handkerchief from his outstretched hand and dabbed her eyes.

She looked at him for some quiet moment before asking the question which has been burning its way through her, “Who are you?”

The question didn’t again catch him off guard as he has been expecting it since they never had a formal introduction.

“I’m Davis,” Sly started, “A hired killer.” He said and looked in time to catch the frightened expression which came and disappeared immediately. “Two years ago,” he continued, “I was hired to eliminate a four man gang. I had executed the job only to realize later on that they were linked to the death of your father. Whoever contracted me for that job wanted to bury everything concerning the death of your father without any trace and that’s why he contacted me.

“Who contacted you?” she asked cutting him off.

“In my line of business, we don’t meet face to face. Every business is always discussed on phone.” He answered and looked at her to know if she understood before he continued. “Six months ago, I got contacted again to eliminate you.” He looked away avoiding the expression on her face. “I had accepted the job though, I was already planning to take a vacation but the price on your head was insane to overlook; 15 million” he stopped and took a breath. “Secondly, the voice that ordered for the hit rang a bell and in this business, we don’t get to hear familiar voices ordering for hits often. I had planned to finish up within two weeks and leave but I realized that I couldn’t do it; it haunted me, you haunted me.” He stopped and breathed heavily suppressing the lump swelling up in his throat.

“I couldn’t do it; it haunted me to my soul.” He started before diverting as he was getting emotional. “In the course of my trailing you, I found out who you are; the daughter of the man I killed his killers two years back. It was then it struck me. The same voice that ordered for the hit on those boys was the same voice that ordered for your death.”

She stared at him as he explained himself. Her fears have been replaced by emotions. She saw mixed feeling appearing and disappearing on his face. She noticed how he was trying to suppress his emotions swelling up through his throat noticeable in his voice. He avoided her eyes. “What is wrong with him, is he in love with me? She thought. No that’s ridiculous, she rebuked herself.

She couldn’t understand herself that moment either. She’d felt a force drawing her closer to him. She caught herself twice, staring at his features, the outline of his jaw and his lips moving as he talked. She’d had to shake herself out from the trance before he could notice.

“How did you know that Bob was involved in this?” she asked breaking through the silence which hovered around them after he explained everything to herself.

“Because on the night we first met, he was the shooter.”He replied coldly.

Shifting away, she stared at him unbelievably, “No it can’t be.” She muttered shocked.

“Yes, it was him. While he tried to mix up and escaped through the commotion, the hood had fallen off his head.

She couldn’t believe it. Suddenly things started becoming clear to her; it struck her. While falling under Sly that night, she’d seen the shoe of the shooter and she just remembered Bob wearing the same shoe that night. Again, how could he just appear immediately after the shooting? He must have taken his time to discard the hood. It now made sense to her why their plan never worked and why they left before the SCD arrived.

“Why didn’t you tell me before now?” she asked confused.

“Because I wanted to confirm it. He’d been clean enough that I couldn’t see any reason to suspect him.” He replied still looking away.

“What do we do now, what’s the next step to take?” she asked more confused.

“We have to get the SCD involved now, we have enough evidence to nail them but, before then, we still need to draw either the shooter out here or Bob.”